Saturday, February 14, 2009

Curry Leaves Chutney

Happy Valentine's Day!

Can you guess what these hearts are made of???

Karivepaku pachadi (Curry Leaves Chutney)

Curry leaves have very important place in Indian cuisine especially South Indian cousine…The leaves are highly valued as seasoning in South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, much like bay leaves and especially in curries with fish or coconut milk. In their fresh form, they have a short shelf life though they may be stored in a freezer for quite some time; however, this can result in a loss of their flavour. They are also available dried, though the aroma is much inferior.The leaves of Murraya koenigii are also used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Their properties include much value as an antidiabetic[2], antioxidant[3], antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc. For more details, please visit the following site…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_Tree

Wash and dry the curry leaves for 15 minutes in front of a fan. Heat the oil in a pan and add the red chillies, cumin seeds, 2 garlic cloves and a pinch of turmeric powder. Fry them until they turn light brown in colur and transfer them into a bowl. Now add the curry leaves and fry them for 1-2 minutes on a low flame. Now turn off the stove. Transfer all the fried ingredients into a mixer jar and add the jaggery, tamarind pulp and salt. Grind them into a paste using a little water if necessary. Heat the oil in the pan and add dry chilli pieces, garlic, mustard seeds and curry leaves one by one. Fry them until they turn brown in colour and add the ground paste to it. Lower the flame and cook it until the oil separates from the chutney. Turn off the stove and store it into a dry bottle, once it cools down…It keeps for two weeks, if we take proper care, such as not using a wet spoon…It goes well with hot rice, chapathis or dosas...